Strange Behavior
by Mari Nighthaze
Summary: Ryou and Bakura have both been acting weird, and none of their friends can figure out why. But with some detective work and a bit of stalking, they just might be able to discover what the two are hiding. High school AU. B/R, hints of Y/Y. Reposted!
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: This is yaoi, which means two guys going out. Can't handle the gay? Then go away!

DISCLAIMER: Me owning YuGiOh is about as likely as Mary Sues ever being welcome on this website. So, not very likely.

* * *

><p>"Finally! I missed being able to eat out here!"<p>

Joey ran over to one of the trees in the courtyard of Domino High, sitting down beneath it and pulling his lunch out of his backpack. Tristan sprinted after him while Yugi, Ryou, and Téa followed at a slower pace.

"It _is _beautiful out here." Téa commented, sitting down and leaning against the tree trunk. "Spring really has arrived."

It was the first day of spring, a date Ryou and his friends always looked forward to as it was the day the school let the students start spending their lunch period out in the courtyard again.

"Yeah, it's really relaxing," Yugi agreed. "And we have such a pretty view, too."

As he looked around at the budding trees, he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he saw his childhood friend, Yami, sitting at one of the picnic tables with his friends Bakura, Marik, and Malik.

Yami, as if feeling someone's eyes on him, looked up. Catching Yugi's gaze, he grinned, waving. Yugi's face turned slightly pink, but he waved back.

Tristan and Joey noticed this and glanced at each other, smirking.

"Yeah, you really seem to be enjoying the view there, Yugi." Tristan said, nudging him teasingly.

"Shut up," Yugi mumbled, face darkening to a deep red.

"Leave Yugi alone, guys." Téa admonished, rolling her eyes.

Ryou lay on his back, looking up on the sky. "Yeah, let's just appreciate being able to get outside and do nothing for every lunch period again."

"Alright, fine, just as soon as you get your hair out of my food," Joey grinned, noticing Ryou's head dangerously close to his lunch. He leaned forward to rescue his sandwich but, catching sight of something, froze.

"Hey Ryou, what's that?" Joey asked, pointing to a red mark on the side of Ryou's neck. He hadn't noticed it before under Ryou's hair.

Ryou's eyes widened for a moment before he managed to put on a light expression. "Oh, it's probably just a bug bite. No big deal."

He smiled, though it looked a bit forced. Joey raised an eyebrow, looking closer.

"Are you sure? That would have to be a pretty big bug."

Everyone else, intrigued, gathered around Ryou, who was turning red and starting to look a bit panicked. Yugi furrowed his brow.

"Hey," He said, eyes widening in shock and recognition, "That looks like a-"

"Excuse me!" Ryou jumped to his feet, cutting Yugi off, "But I have to go do... something!" He all but sprinted back into the school, leaving his dumbfounded friends by the tree.

"Guys, was that what I thought it was?" Joey asked after a few moments.

"If by 'that' you mean a hickey, then yeah, I think it was," Yugi answered quietly.

"But- but how did he get it?" Téa asked.

"Well, Téa, when two people like each other very mu- OW!" Téa smacked Tristan over the head before he could finish.

"I know _how," _She said, rolling her eyes. "But who gave it to him?"

"I don't know," Yugi replied thoughtfully. "Do you think he's going out with someone?"

"But, if he was, why wouldn't he tell us?" Joey countered. "I mean, we're his friends, after all."

Téa shrugged, unable to come up with an answer. "But you know, he _has _been acting a bit different lately. Have you noticed that he doesn't answer his phone most of the times we call him to hang out anymore?"

"Yeah, and the last time we went to the arcade, he said he wasn't feeling well and was just going to stay at home," Yugi recalled. "I remember thinking it was a bit weird at the time, cause he seemed fine to me…"

They all exchanged a puzzled glance before staring over at the courtyard door that Ryou had run through only a few minutes earlier. What was going on with their friend?

* * *

><p>Bakura leaned idly against the lockers, waiting for his friends. He, Marik, Malik, and Yami never bothered to go to their gym class, preferring instead to hang around and intimidate the occasional underclassmen in the hall.<p>

But of course, they were late. Again.

They always took their time walking over from the science wing, just to annoy him. He sighed, cursing whoever had put him in a different fourth period class than the other three as he banged his head against a locker. Where the hell _were _they?

Suddenly a student, a new transer by the looks of him, ran around the corner, frantically glancing between room numbers and a sheet of paper in his hand. Catching sight of Bakura, he sighed in relief.

"Could you please help me?" He asked quickly. Bakura turned to him, raising an eyebrow. The boy took in his appearance for the first time, from his wild hair to his trench coat and combat boots, and stared down at his shoes, beginning to regret his decision to approach the upperclassman. Despite his slight fear, he continued nervously.

"I- I'm new, and I'm, uh, having a bit of, um, trouble finding my next class." He stuttered out, looking as if he expected to be hit. Usually this would be Bakura's dream come true: fresh meat just asking for a beating. But, luckily for the shrimp, he'd caught Bakura in a good mood.

"Where're you headed?"

The boy's head snapped up. "What?"

"I asked, where are you headed?" Bakura repeated, slight hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Oh, um, the woodshop classroom." The boy said quickly. He was less tense now that it seemed he was going to make it out of this encounter with his face intact.

"Around that corner, it's the fourth door down on your left," Bakura replied disinterestedly, pointing. The boy grinned.

"Thanks!" He rushed off down the hall, leaving Bakura alone again. Or, so he thought.

"I'm surprised, Bakura. You aren't going soft on us, are you?"

Bakura rolled his eyes, turning to see Yami, Marik, and Malik standing a few feet behind him. Yami had an eyebrow raised, waiting for an answer.

"You wish," He replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm just in a good mood today. That a crime?"

Malik smirked. "Where you're concerned it should be."

"You've been in a good mood for a while," Marik commented. "Now that I think about it, you've been acting like this for at least a month now. Care to share why?"

"That's none of your business," Bakura said quickly, checking his watch. "Well, I've already wasted most of the period waiting for you guys, so let's go do _something _before the bell rings."

He started walking away before anyone could respond. The trio exchanged confused glances before shrugging and following him down the hall.

* * *

><p>Yugi waved goodbye to his friends after school. After talking things over, he, Tristan, Joey, and Téa had decided not to bring it up with Ryou, but to keep an eye on him to see if they could figure out what he was hiding. Or, more specifically given the hickey, who.<p>

Ryou seemed relieved that they weren't asking about it, Yugi noted, watching as Ryou waved back before heading down his street.

Yugi turned down his own street, running people through his mind as he tried to figure out who Ryou could be dating. He continued walking, deep in thought.

"Something wrong?"

Yugi yelped, whipping around to see Yami standing beside him, looking amused. He half-glared, half-pouted up at his next door neighbor.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Yami apologized, though his laughter slightly ruined the effect. Yugi rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"Well, to answer your question, no, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking."

"About?" Yami prompted, falling into step beside him.

"Ryou. He's hiding something, and Joey, Tristan, Téa, and I can't figure out what it is." Yami nodded thoughtfully.

"That's funny, one of my friends has been acting a bit weird lately too. Then again, it's not like he wasn't psychotic to begin with. Ryou's mental state is much more stable, I'm sure he's fine." He turned to Yugi, grinning. Yugi smiled back, feeling slightly reassured.

"Want to come over my house?" Yugi asked, changing the subject. "We can watch a movie or something."

Yami grinned. "I'd love to." He grabbed Yugi's hand and all but dragged him down the street. Yugi flushed slightly and looked down, smiling to himself and trying not to stumble.

* * *

><p>I hope you liked the first chapter of Strange Behavior! There's going to be one more chapter after this. So until then, enjoy, and if the spirit moves you, leave a review! I love getting the feedback! ^-^<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

So, here's the second and last chapter of Strange Behavior!

WARNING: This has yaoi, so if you don't like the idea of two guys in a relationship, then this story isn't for you. Go read a romance novel. Perhaps something by Danielle Steele...

DISCLAIMER: I actually _did _own the cast for about a month. After I kidnapped them, that is. But that's another story, one that you can read by searching the story 'The YuGiOh Project' under the penname Nightowl572 *shameless self promotion FTW!*

* * *

><p>"Hey, Ryou, want to go to the arcade after school?" Ryou turned from staring out the window to see Yugi and Joey standing by his desk.<p>

"Tristan and Téa are coming too," Joey added grinning. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

Ryou smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I can't. I have a bunch of homework to get done."

"Ryou, you're always two weeks ahead on homework. And besides, you finished it in class, remember?" Yugi pointed out. Ryou's smile faltered slightly.

"I- It's a history project I have to work on," He said, stating the one class that he didn't have with the pair.

Joey and Yugi shared a look, but only responded with, "Okay. Maybe tomorrow then."

Ryou nodded, still looking slightly tense. As the bell rang for the end of the day he jumped quickly out of his seat. "I'll see you guys tommorrow, okay?"

Yugi and Joey watched him run off without waiting for a response.

"Alright, that was weird," Joey said, scratching his head as they left the room and started down the hall.

"Yeah, it's almost like-"

"Hey guys!" Yugi was cut off as Téa called out from down the hall, Tristan at her side. They caught up with Yugi and Joey, falling into step beside them.

"Ready for the arcade?" She asked excitedly.

"Yeah, and where's Ryou?" Tristan asked. The other two sighed.

"He couldn't come." Yugi told them.

"Huh? Why?"

"He said that he had to do a history project and then ran off." Joey explained. Téa shook her head, confused.

"That can't be right. I'm in his history class; we haven't had to do a project all year!"

The other three stared at her in shock.

"Are you sure?" Tristan asked. Téa nodded firmly.

"Positive."

"Alright, things are getting a bit too weird with Ryou. We need to do something, and soon." Joey said, a determined look in his eye. Everyone else nodded.

"But, what?"

* * *

><p>"Alright, this is getting a bit too weird for me," Marik said, staring at Bakura, who was sitting in the courtyard waiting for them. He turned to Yami and Malik as they approached their white-haired friend. "Bakura's <em>smiling. <em>And we haven't even beaten anyone up or watched Cannibal Holocaust today!"

Malik nodded gravely. "Methinks we're witnessing the beginning of the apocalypse."

"We must proceed with caution, men." Yami added, also putting on a serious expression.

"Oh, ha ha, you guys are hilarious." Bakura rolled his eyes. "I'm in a good mood today. Shouldn't you be happy for me like normal friends?"

"Since when have we been normal, Bakura?" Marik asked, eyebrows raised.

"And since when have _you _been in a good mood for over a _month_? Well, besides that time we filled the teacher's desk with chicken blood and pinned it on that annoying chick who kept trying to follow you home," Malik recalled. "Ah, good times."

"What these two idiots are trying to say," Yami stepped in, glaring at Marik and Malik, "Is that you're acting different than usual, and we want to know why."

A flicker of nervousness passed over Bakura's face before he composed it into his usual slightly bored, slightly sadistic expression.

"Geez, what are you, my mother? I'm not acting different, and so what if I am? Just drop it okay?"

He didn't give them any time to retort as he walked away, though not before his friends caught the slight pink tinge to his cheeks, easy to see over his pale complexion. As soon as he was out of earshot, the trio began talking.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand," Yami said firmly.

"Yeah," Marik nodded. "Bakura never keeps secrets from us. From the school, his parents, and the cops, yeah, but never _us_!"

"Well, Bakura's our friend," Malik began, "so if he's hiding something it's our job to find out what it is so we can help him with it."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "And by that you mean, snoop around until we figure out what he's hiding, and then blackmail him mercilessly with it until we get bored?"

"Exactly!" Malik grinned. "After all, what are friends for?"

* * *

><p>"I feel so stupid," Téa muttered softly. She glared at Yugi, Joey, and Tristan from behind a large pair of sunglasses.<p>

"Shh!" Joey whispered, peeking around the wall of the alley the four were standing in. He was also wearing a pair of sunglasses, and a bright red jacket covered his regular T-shirt. "We don't want him to see us!"

"Please explain to me again why we're spending our Saturday stalking Ryou." Téa complained.

"Because," Tristan, whose hair was slicked back instead of in its usual pointy style, explained, "Ryou won't tell us what's going on, so we need to see what he's doing on the days he can't hang out with us."

Yugi, who was wearing a large hat to cover his distinctive hair, spoke for the first time. "Okay, but why do we have to wear these ridiculous disguises?"

"So that he won't recognize us! Now, come on, he just left the supermarket." Joey started off down the street, trying and failing to look inconspicuous. Tristan joined him, and after a shared exasperated look, Yugi and Téa trailed after them.

They followed as Ryou walked down the street holding bags filled with food. "So he's getting groceries. What's the big deal?" Téa asked.

"I don't know," Yugi said thoughtfully, "his house is in the other direction. Why would he be taking groceries somewhere else?"

"Maybe he's getting them for whoever gave him that hickey," Joey suggested, turning back to look at the others. "You never kn- Oof!"

He rammed into someone, stumbling backwards as they fell forwards.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Malik cried, catching Marik before he could hit the ground.

"Hey, no need to be- Yami?" Yugi stopped in the middle of defending Joey as he realized who it was they had run into. Marik, Malik, and Yami were standing there, all wearing trench coats, sunglasses, and fedoras straight out of a bad spy movie.

"What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?"

Yami took off his hat, sunglasses and coat. "Bakura's up to something, so we were spying on him to try to find out what it is and blackmail him with it."

"But we lost track of him a few blocks back, so now we're trying to find him again without him knowing." Marik added as he and Malik also shed their disguises.

"And from the looks of those outfits, you guys are doing something similar." Yami said, indicating the sunglasses and hats the others were sporting.

"Pretty much, except we're following Ryou, and we aren't looking for blackmail material." Téa explained, shooting a disapproving look at the blonde Egyptians.

Tristan suddenly started looking around. "Hey, where _is _Ryou?"

Everybody else started looking around too, but Ryou had disappeared while they were distracted.

"Is that him?" Everyone turned in the direction Joey's finger was pointing to. Sure enough, they caught a flash of distinctive white hair heading into the park.

"Wait, I think that was Bakura!" Malik cried. "We're back on the trail!"

Joey shook his head firmly. "No way, that was definitely Ryou! Right, Yug'?" He turned to his short friend. Yugi shook his head slowly.

"I can't be sure, he was too far away."

Téa shrugged. "Well, then I guess until we figure out if it's Ryou or Bakura we'll all have to go together. So let's get moving before we lose him!"

They all headed into the park, keeping their eyes peeled for their friend. They scanned the benches and playground, and saw a bunch of families and young couple, but no Ryou or Bakura.

"Let's check in there." Tristan motioned towards the woods that made up half the park. Everyone else agreed, and they started tramping through the trees.

For a few minutes they found nothing but a couple of squirrels. Joey was about to suggest they look somewhere else when he heard a soft gasp, and turned to see Yugi jump back from the tree he'd been peering behind, face slightly pink.

"What is it? Did you find Ryou or Bakura?" Joey whispered excitedly. Yugi looked off to the side, an embarrassed expression on his face.

"I, uh, I kind of found both of them." He coughed awkardly as the others looked at him with raised eyebrows. Malik was the first to move, stepping forward to look behind the tree. For a second he seemed surprised, then his features settled into a devious smirk. Turning to the others, he motioned for them to come look, mouthing _'you guys have to see this.'_

Curious, the others looked over as well, and their jaws dropped in shock. They were looking at a sunlit clearing in the trees. And standing in the middle of the clearing, next to a blanket that had various foods spread across it, were Ryou and Bakura.

More specifically, Ryou and Bakura _kissing. _

Ryou had one hand knotted in Bakura's hair, clutching his shirt with the other, while Bakura had a firm grip on Ryou's waist as he started trailing kisses down the other's neck. They continued, oblivious to their newly-acquired audience.

"Well, I guess we know why Bakura's been acting like a pansy now." Malik smirked, and Yami and Marik burst out laughing.

Bakura and Ryou jumped, quickly turning towards the voices. Seeing his friends standing there staring at him, Ryou let out an _Eeep! _and disentangled himself from Bakura, blushing furiously.

"What are you guys doing here?" Bakura demanded, glaring at his friends, though slight pink dusted his cheeks as well.

"We ran into these guys," Marik pointed at Yugi, Téa, Tristan, and Joey, "while we were following you. Turns out they were following him," he pointed at Ryou.

"Yeah, it seems that both of you have been acting different, so we decided to work together to find you and figure out why." Yami added.

"And we did! Turns out wittle 'Kura's in _luuuuurve!" _Malik and Marik started laughing again.

"SHUT UP!" Bakura yelled, embarrassed. Ryou finally moved from where he'd been staring at the ground in mortification, placing a gentle hand on Bakura's arm. Bakura turned to him, and they stared at each other for a minute before Bakura relaxed, and stopped looking as if he was going to murder someone. He gave Ryou a small smile and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

The others watched this exchange with interest.

"Ryou?"

Ryou looked up with a slightly surprised expression on his face, as if he'd forgotten that everyone else was still there.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked, looking confused. Ryou sighed.

"Bakura and I have been going out for the past month," he said quietly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Joey demanded, upset that his friend hadn't told them about something so important.

"I was afraid how you'd react," Ryou admitted. "I know Bakura doesn't have the best of reputations-"

"Gee, thanks," Bakura rolled his eyes, and Ryou elbowed him lightly in the stomach, smiling faintly.

"Oh, hush, -and I didn't know how you'd take it." Ryou finished, looking sheepishly at his friends. "I'm sorry, and I'll understand if you're angry…"

Yugi, Tristan, Joey, and Téa all exchanged a glance. "Are you happy with him?" Tristan asked after a moment. Ryou nodded enthusiatically.

"Very much."

"Then we're happy for you," Joey grinned. "Just don't ditch us completely, okay?"

Ryou laughed, tightening his grip on Bakura's hand. "I won't, I promise!"

Bakura turned to his friends, who had been surprisingly quiet during the exchange.

"You guys have anything to say?"

The trio looked at each other, brows raised, then turned back to Bakura.

"You're happy, and it's not because of blood. We know a miracle when we see one." Marik said with a smile.

Yami grinned. "If he's what you want, then we won't get in your way."

"Yeah, just don't go all mushy because of this, okay?" Malik smirked. Bakura rolled his eyes.

"Sure, whatever. Now if you guys don't mind, we were kind of in the middle of something."

"Yeah, okay, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone." Joey grinned as everyone began to leave. Soon only Téa was left. She walked up to Bakura, a determined look on her face.

"Téa?" Ryou asked nervously, "What are you-"

"Fair warning," Téa addressed Bakura, "Ryou is one of my best friends, and if you ever hurt him in any way, I will personally castrate you with a pair of rusty garden shears."

Bakura was about to laugh when he noted the slightly evil glint in her eye was made him suspect she wasn't joking. He gulped. "Noted."

Téa nodded, hugged Ryou quickly before turning an following the others. "Have fun you guys!"

There was silence for a moment, then Ryou smiled at Bakura, motioning to the picnic they'd spread out. "Shall we?"

Bakura smirked. "I've got a better idea," he replied slyly, pulling Ryou close and continuing as if they hadn't been interrupted.

Needless to say, they never ate the food.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Yugi was once again walking down the street towards his house, and Yami was once again walking beside him.<p>

"Hey, Yami?"

Yami looked at Yugi. "What is it?"

"Do you think we should tell them about us?" Yugi asked softly. "I mean, they were okay with Ryou and Bakura, so we know they won't get mad…"

Yami thought for a moment. "Nah," he smirked, interlacing his fingers with Yugi's and brushing his lips across his cheek. "Let them figure it out on their own."

* * *

><p>I don't know about anyone else, but I've always thought of Téa as the friend who would help you get revenge on people who dumped you. And you know she wouldn't let anyone mess with her friends and get away with it ^-^<p>

And, truthfully, did anyone predict that Yami and Yugi were already together? I didn't even know, but then that added itself on and I couldn't bear to leave it out ^-^

Anyway, I hope you liked Strange Behavior, because I sure liked writing it! Let me know what you think!


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